Sex case against ex-Kennewick superintendent postponed

The trial for a retired Kennewick school superintendent, accused of trying to meet up with two teen girls for sex, has been postponed to the end of the year.

Paul W. Rosier, 75, is scheduled to face a jury Dec. 11 in Richland’s U.S. District Court on one count of attempted child sex trafficking.

Senior Judge Ed Shea on Tuesday approved the defense motion to continue.

Rosier’s lawyer, Scott Johnson, had asked for the delay because his client “is continuing to meet with and be evaluated by experts.” It then will take up to two months to complete those evaluations, Johnson said in a court document.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office did not object to the delay, which gives Johnson more time to prepare his defense.

Rosier, who lives in Olympia, was arrested April 1 at the Hampton Inn in Richland. He reportedly flew to the Tri-Cities for business, but planned to “hook up” with two girls after exchanging text messages for three days with someone he believed was a 16-year-old girl.

The girl – an undercover Kennewick detective – had offered up a nonexistent 13-year-old friend. The alleged agreement was for $200 total.

Rosier left the Kennewick School District in 2006 to work as executive director for the Washington Association of School Administrators in Olympia. He retired in 2014.